The present invention relates to the improvement of motor function and locomotion in humans, and, more particularly, to a method and device for improving such motor function and locomotion by means of random change to the stance angle of a user during gait.
Various methods and devices have been developed in different medical fields for inducing changes in pathological stable patterns (stable attractors). For example, attempts have been made to control epileptic brain seizures by waiting for the system to approach an unstable point from the stable base. A minimal intervention is then required to bring the system back to stability (S. J. Schiff, et al., Nature 1994; 370:615-20).
In the control of cardiac arrhythmia, A. Garfinkel et al. (Science 1992; 257:1230-5) developed a method called “proportional perturbation feedback”, in which the system state point is perturbed so as to move the state point toward the stable manifold.
Studies have demonstrated that adding noise by applying low-level random vibrations to the feet can significantly reduce the postural sway during quiet standing in the elderly, patients with diabetes, and stroke subjects. This is based on a phenomenon known as stochastic resonance (A. A. Priplata et al., Annals of Neurology 2006; 59: 4-12). A number of studies have investigated the processes involved in motor adaptation by exposing subjects to specific perturbations and quantifying the changes in their responses over time. These perturbations were usually imposed during the performance of a task in a fixed or random fashion.
United States Patent Publication No. 20040173220 to Harry et al. discloses a method and wearable system for enhancing human balance and gait and preventing foot injury through neurological stimulation of the foot and the ankle. Subthreshold stimulation for neurosensory enhancement is provided via electrodes or vibrational actuators, or combination thereof, disposed in or on a wearable a platform, such as an insole) sock shoe, removable shoe insert, or applied without the support of a platform, to the skin surface of an individual. Suprathreshold stimulation for therapeutic purposes, such as improving blood flow, is also provided by the vibrational actuators. The actuators and electrodes are driven by bias signals generated by a bias signal generator that is coupled to a controller. The signal generator under the control of the controller is adapted to generate a non-deterministic random signal, a repetitive pattern or series of patterns.
The merits and efficacies of the above-described devices and methods notwithstanding, it would be highly advantageous to have a method and device for improving motor function and locomotion of a user.